Tension in South Lebanon as Israeli Army accuses UN Peacekeepers of shooting down drone

Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - Tensions are rising in southern Lebanon after the Israeli military on Monday, October 27 accused UN peacekeepers of deliberately shooting down one of its intelligence-gathering drones.

The incident reportedly took place a day earlier, with the Israeli military stating that an IDF intelligence-gathering drone was shot down in the area of Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon during a routine activity.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said that an initial inquiry suggests that UNIFIL forces (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) stationed nearby "deliberately fired at the drone and downed it," asserting that the drone’s activity "did not pose a threat to UNIFIL forces."

The UN peacekeepers offered a contrasting account of the event. On Sunday, UNIFIL released a statement saying that an Israeli drone flew over its patrol in an “aggressive manner,” and that the peacekeepers "applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralise the drone."

UNIFIL condemned the incident, stating that it "shows disregard for safety and security of the peacekeepers implementing Security Council mandated tasks in southern Lebanon."

The exchange did not end with the drone. The Israeli military admitted that following the shooting, it dropped a grenade toward the area where the drone fell, but maintained that troops did not fire directly at the peacekeepers.

UNIFIL, however, later reported a second, concerning incident. They stated that another Israeli drone came close to its patrol operating near Kfar Kila and dropped a grenade. "Moments later, an Israeli tank fired a shot towards the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the UNIFIL peacekeepers and assets," the statement added

This confrontation highlights the fragile security situation in the region, particularly in light of last year’s ceasefire agreement. That truce mandated that Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon and that the area south of the Litani River only be deployed with the Lebanese army and UNIFIL. Despite this, Israel has kept troops deployed in several strategic border points, and has intensified strikes in the region in recent weeks.